Ambon remains tense, death toll rises

Ambon remains tense, death toll rises

Octovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

The Maluku capital of Ambon remained tense and deserted on
Wednesday as most people chose to stay home amid tightened
security.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Tuesday's sectarian rioting
rose to 10 after three more bodies were found on Wednesday.

Two new casualties were marines identified as Pvt. Alfandi and
Pvt. Wagimin, whose bodies were discovered in the wreckage of KM
Kalifornia that exploded on Tuesday.

Another body of a 10-year-old girl, Meilan Limaheluw, was also
found floating in Ambon Bay, where the vessel explosion sparked
the riot.

Ambon Navy chief Lt. Col. Chaidir Patonorri said his troops
were still searching for another missing marine First Sgt. Wajar
Anglika.

Also on Wednesday, a bomb hoax at the provincial governor's
office, caused panic among officials and forced them to flee the
building that had been stoned by rioters that burned the city's
legislative council (DPRD) building on Tuesday.

Witnesses said an unidentified caller had told a staff member
that there a bomb was planted inside the governor's office.

Many civil servants refused to return to work for fear of new
attacks even though troops patrolled the capital city.

Chaidir said the Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina, who is
also head of the civil emergency authority, had ordered a
thorough investigation into those involved in the riot, including
the burning of the DPRD building.

Meanwhile, Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Farouk M. Saleh said
security authorities would step up surveillance against people
suspected of attempting to incite further violence in the
province days before Idul Fitri and Christmas celebrations.

He said the police would not invite the warring Muslim and
Christian groups to a reconciliation forum in an effort to
prevent more clashes from recurring. "There is no need to force
them to do so. I will convince people here to maintain peace and
order within their respective groups."

Major Herry Suhardi, acting spokesman for Ambon's military
command, said he suspected the involvement of extremist outsiders
in Tuesday's incident, citing a recent attack on Iweri village on
Buru Island.

"The incident in Iweri village has proven our suspicions. When
I came to the scene along with Ambon's Pattimura military chief
Colonel Syafruddin Sumah, they (villagers) said outsiders came to
their village and provoked them to attack. The provocateurs later
disappeared after the attack took place," Herry said.

He said the military had identified a group of provocateurs
during Tuesday's attacks, but declined to reveal what action it
would take against them.

Christian groups accused the Islamic militants Laskar Jihad,
who came from Java, of being responsible for the boat explosion,
which also left 42 people injured.

Fighting between Christians and Muslims in the Maluku islands
has claimed the lives of 5,000 people in the past three years.
Conflict first broke out in Ambon on January 19, 1999, one day
before Idul Fitri, and has continued unabated despite the
imposition of a civil emergency status on June 27 last year.

Sporadic clashes had erupted between warring religious groups
even before the Dutch and Portuguese colonizers left the spice
islands.

The Dutch treated Muslims and Christians discriminatorily,
provoking occasional fighting among them. However, any clashes
were resolved quickly through traditional conflict resolution
councils called Pelagandong, headed by tribal leaders.

Under former dictator Soeharto's 32-year rule, the key role of
Pelagandong was eliminated and any conflicts were resolved by
formal security authorities who were distrusted by locals and
said to be corrupt.

Sociologists have blamed public frustration over development
disparities and the wide economic gap between the indigenous
people and migrants for the outbreak of violence in the past
three years.

Apart from that, they said, the policy of the Soeharto
government whereby the center of power was the central government
to the detriment of the regions was also a contributing factor in
the continued clashes.